The booklet – also available online – is a crash course in Big Beverage’s most common smoke-and-mirror tactics: vehement emphasis on physical activity, avoidance of nutrition issues, a framework of health centered solely around obesity and caloric intake, and rampant use of vague terms like “balance” and “moderation”.

The concept of “mindful eating”– to be fully present when eating so one savors and enjoys food — isn’t particularly new, but it often comes up during the holiday season, when a slew of “healthy eating tips for the holidays” articles pop up.

There is nothing wrong with mindful eating per se. Enjoying and savoring is much preferred to chowing down in front of the television while being numb to what can be a wonderful sensory experience. My frustration is that the concept is myopically applied exclusively to the act of eating, when it should really cover more territory.

This time around, I want to share a much less conventional variety that contains a variety of vegetables and spices (cocoa powder, anyone?). If your digestive system is particularly sensitive to beans, then this recipe is for you, since lentils are the stars (unlike beans, lentils do not contain sulfur — AKA: no unpleasant side effects).

This recipe is very high in fiber, so if you are not accustomed to large amounts, you may want to start out having a a smaller serving of this as a side dish.

PS: I have been camera-less for the past week, but next time I make this recipe, I will upload a photo of the finished product. Enjoy!

Of special interest was the group’s petition, which addresses concerns over the American Dietetic Association’s collusion with ‘Big Food’ and ‘Big Pharma’, as well as the organization’s “multi-state legislative effort[s] to monopolize nutritional therapy through legislative initiates.”

While I do not see eye-to-eye with ANH on every issue, I am in full agreement with this one.

This week, various media outlets reported on a study which concluded that school soda bans are ineffective; or, as as The Chicago Tribute put it — ‘School Soda Bans Don’t Cut Kids’ Consumption’. This not only frames the issue incorrectly, but also blames “ineffective bans” for problems they were never intended to correct.

Let’s hypothesize, though, that artificial sweeteners are eventually cleared of all wrongdoing. Even then, with undisputed evidence that there isn’t the slightest health risk, I would urge everyone to stay away from them.

I am not a fan of diet rankings (our nutritional landscape’s Achilles heel is the obsession with dieting, as opposed to learning and developing healthful habits), but this list particularly disappointed and frustrated me.